#16 Feb 2014 Ladies of the Night, Jousters and Acrobats

From Apache Junction Tom and Joan took us on a twisting, turning road up into the mountains to Tortilla Flat. With Tom driving Ralph was able to enjoy the view and certainly appreciated our very competent chauffeur and tour guide. Our first stop was at Canyon Lake which was created by the construction of the Mormon Flat Dam in 1925. For southern California it is a reservoir and recreation area, both of which are rare in the desert.

From 1904 to 1926 Tortilla Flat was a stagecoach stop along the Apache Trail and some of the buildings remain, including a restaurant with a unique feature. Tom insisted I take the camera into the ladies washroom. Now you can also see why - each stall is decorated with a lady from the stagecoach era.

Bar stools are saddles.

The entire room is covered with dollar bills and old posters and signs.

This photo shows a flat topped mesa which we mentioned before and the vast distances that we could see from so many places in California and Arizona.

With Bob and Sue we attended the Renaissance Festival east of Apache Junction. The costumes of the entertainers and many visitors are amazing.

During the jousting tournament we cheered for Sir Maximillian, I guess not loudly enough though, as he didn’t win the jousting or the deadly duel.

Can you sort out all 3 people in these pictures?

There were so many first rate entertainers that we were kept busy all day without even time for shopping!

February 9th Marg and Paul from Surrey arrived at Mesa Regal to almost complete our Supper Club. The next time we gather in Mesa we hope Cathy can join us and complete the group. We had great fun combining meals and talking for hours to share our experiences since we last gathered together in November.

We all noticed:

In California the wine is cheap and the gas expensive

In Arizona the gas is cheap and the wine is expensive

So, do we drink or drive? That was easy since we were all within walking distance in Mesa Regal. We bring California wine to Arizona and drink to friendship!